Ransomware has fast become the dominant form of malware as it makes the most profit for gangs, according to new research.
Cisco's 2016 Midyear Cybersecurity Report found that fragile infrastructure, poor network hygiene, and slow detection rates are the main reasons this type of malicious attack is effective.
The networking firm said it expects the upward trend in ransomware to continue with even more destructive variants that can spread by themselves and hold entire networks and companies hostage appearing.
It said new modular strains of ransomware will be able to quickly switch tactics to maximise efficiency and future ransomware attacks will evade detection by being able to limit CPU usage and refrain from command-and-control actions.
The report also found a growing number of ransomware attacks using server vulnerabilities specifically within JBoss servers of which, 10 per cent of those connected to the internet worldwide were found to be compromised. Many of the JBoss vulnerabilities used to compromise these systems were identified five years ago, meaning that basic patching and vendor updates could have easily prevented such attacks, according to Cisco.
Cyber criminals are also getting better at keeping a low profile when carrying out ransomware attacks, with an increased use of cryptocurrency, Transport Layer Security and Tor, which enables anonymous communication across the web.
The report said many companies do a lousy job of keeping software up to date as a means of defending against ransomware attacks. It reported that 20-25 per cent of Chrome users were on the latest version of the browser, and Java sees slow migrations with one-third of the systems examined running Java SE 6, which is being phased out by Oracle (the current version is SE 10).
In Microsoft Office 2013, 10 per cent or less of users are using the newest service pack version.
"As organisations capitalise on new business models presented by digital transformation, security is the critical foundation. Attackers are going undetected and expanding their time to operate. To close the attackers' windows of opportunity, customers will require more visibility into their networks and must improve activities, like patching and retiring ageing infrastructure lacking in advanced security capabilities," said Marty Roesch, vice president and chief architect of the Security Business Group at Cisco.
-
The unseen risk in Microsoft 365: disaster recoveryBusinesses that assume they’re covered for data backup could come unstuck in a time of crisis
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's prediction about AI in software development is nowhere nearly to becoming a realityNews In March, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claimed up to 90% of code would be written by AI within six months – his prediction hasn't quite come to fruition.
-
Prolific ransomware operator added to Europe’s Most Wanted list as US dangles $10 million rewardNews The US Department of Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Volodymyr Viktorovych Tymoshchuk, an alleged ransomware criminal.
-
Jaguar Land Rover “did the right thing” shutting down systems to thwart cyber attackNews The attack on Jaguar Land Rover highlights the growing attractiveness of the automotive sector
-
Ransomware attack on IT supplier disrupts hundreds of Swedish municipalitiesNews The attack on IT systems supplier Miljödata has impacted public sector services across the country
-
A notorious hacker group is ramping up cloud-based ransomware attacksNews The Storm-0501 threat group is refining its tactics, according to Microsoft, shifting away from traditional endpoint-based attacks and toward cloud-based ransomware.
-
Security researchers have just identified what could be the first ‘AI-powered’ ransomware strain – and it uses OpenAI’s gpt-oss-20b modelNews Using OpenAI's gpt-oss:20b model, ‘PromptLock’ generates malicious Lua scripts via the Ollama API.
-
Data I/O shuts down systems in wake of ransomware attack
News Regulatory filings by Data I/O suggest the costs of dealing with the attack could be significant
-
Average ransom payment doubles in a single quarterNews Targeted social engineering and data exfiltration have become the biggest tactics as three major ransomware groups dominate
-
BlackSuit ransomware gang taken down in latest law enforcement sting – but members have already formed a new groupNews The notorious gang has seen its servers taken down and bitcoin seized, but may have morphed into a new group called Chaos
